MAR
25

Still Life With Actors

What to do with your body during auditions and photo ops 

By Christina Hamlett 

Former actress and director Christina Hamlett is an award-winning author whose credits to date include 52 books, 276 stage plays and squillions of articles on the performing arts.  www.authorhamlett.com. 

When you’re onstage in a production, you’re very much a study in motion — sitting, strolling, stooping, fainting, making an entrance, dancing, engaging in swordplay or faux fisticuffs.  But what about the times you’re just standing around getting ready for an audition or posing for cast photographs?  How do you position your body?  What direction should your feet be facing?  And what on earth should you be doing with your fidgety jazz-hands?

Once upon a long-ago time, proper posture used to be taught at home and in schools.  Scientific evidence demonstrated that slouching in chairs could lead to neck and back pain, fatigue, and a decline in concentration.  Further, many a young girl (myself included!)  learned to walk across a room with a book balanced on her head — an exercise which not only cultivated grace but paved the way for better draping clothes as well.  Picture-perfect posture was also instilled in the early days of Hollywood, where a straight back, a tucked-in pelvis, an open posture, and ears aligned directly over the shoulders projected a sense of authority, confidence, and presence.

Which brings us to the present day.  When directors lament that their actors are slouching, I am quick to lay the blame on technology.  A generation accustomed to hunching over a cellphone or a keyboard has steadily lost the ability to stand up straight, throw their shoulders back or focus on anything other than a screen.  Further, their own fingers can be a liability if they’re not engaged in texting.

Happily there are some remedies which don’t involve your cast members walking around balancing heavy scripts on their heads.

Auditions

When I taught audition techniques, the biggest challenge was getting actors to take their hands out of their pockets — and most especially — playing with whatever jangling keys or loose change resided in them.  “What if your costume doesn’t have pockets?”  I challenged them.  Since they didn’t know what to do with their hands, I told them to pretend they didn’t have any and, accordingly, to put them behind their backs.  For those who were accustomed to “talking” with their hands, this amounted to total torture.

On the flip side, it forced them to convey more through their voice, facial expressions, and physicality.  When I finally allowed them to bring their hands back out, it was with the instruction that their hands couldn’t be a distraction.  Rather, they had to make purposeful use of them as an adjunct to the dialogue and movement.  I also found it useful to videotape them so they could see that, even though they were usually not aware of it, the smallest hand flutters — or other quirks — appear exaggerated and draw attention away from the lines they’re delivering.

Good posture is essential for vocal projection and breath control.  When you’re maintaining an upright position, this allows for higher lung capacity and how effectively you can modulate and project your voice over distance and for sustained periods of time.  Additionally, the alignment of your spine reduces neck and back pain and promotes a greater range of fluid, flexible, and controlled movements.  This, in turn, fuels greater self-esteem and self-confidence.

Where should your eyes be when you’re auditioning?  In a cold reading, they’re probably on the script with occasional upward glances at the reading partner.  For a memorized piece, there’s often a tendency for new actors to either look at the ceiling or to stare at the casting director.  Neither choice is a smart one.  The first one projects aimlessness, the second one subjects the director to the role of participant rather than detached observer.  Instead, keep your head over your torso, your chin parallel to the floor and fixate on a focal point in the room as your imaginary listener.  If one needs to pace about during the monologue, being able to return to the same focal point will demonstrate discipline.  Even after your reading is over, maintain this same posture rather than immediately dropping your head and slouching off into the wings.  For eagle-eyed directors, it’s all part of a test to see how well you can stay in character.

Photo-Ops

In every production, there comes a time when the cast must pose for pictures.  What is it about freezing for a moment which suddenly causes posture — and hands — to fly out the window?

Look down at your feet as you face the camera.  Are they parallel to each other, forming an “11” on the floor?  This is good, but what about the rest of your body?  If your feet stay stationary while you are turning or twisting at the waist to look at the camera, the result is unflattering.  The better alternative is to turn your body to a three-quarters position, then turn only your head toward the camera, slightly tilted.

A popular trick of fashion models is to place your hand slightly below your hip.  This actually elongates the body and makes you look slenderer.  When your arms are relaxed at your sides, your hands should drape easily in a straight line toward the ground.  If instead your hands are clenched like a scary claw, it’s a definite sign you’ve been spending too much time clutching your phone!

Still baffled by what to do with your hands when they’re not holding a prop?  Try some of these:

• If you have pockets, it’s acceptable to tuck your hands partially in or simply hook your thumb.  But make sure this “relaxed” pose doesn’t compromise your posture!
• Cross your hands in front of you and just below your waist, one hand slightly covering the wrist of the other.
• If you have long hair, gently play with the ends or tuck a few strands behind your ear.
• If you’re seated, use your elbows as a perch to put one hand over the other and coyly rest your chin on top.  You can also rest both hands in your lap.  Just keep your fingers closed versus splayed.
• Lastly, if posing with a fellow actor, place your downstage hand on his shoulder and tilt your head toward the camera.